Today’s prayer
Dear Lord God, Abba Father, some days the harder I fight to stay connected to You, the more challenges arise. And I shout “get behind me Satan”. For I know he is real and the fight is a spiritual one through which I must ready myself by putting on Your full armor… Stand firm with the belt of truth buckled around my waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with my feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. Taking up the shield of faith, with which I can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Put on the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is Your word Lord God. Praying without ceasing in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. Keeping in mind, I must be alert and always praying for all the Lord’s people. Help me Jesus! Amen

Today’s prayer
Dear Lord God, Abba Father, today I think of Paul’s words… ‘Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.’ That is my why? The purpose? Of what I do and why I do it and in whose name I do it… for You Lord God and in Jesus name. This is a mindset change. A change that puts You first, above and in between me and everything and everyone. Gives a new reason and purpose to all I do. From when I wake, until I lay my head down to sleep I fight to stay connected to You. Forcing me to die to myself in the moments of each day. This fight some days seems all consuming and upon reflection causes me pause. I know Your all I need, but. Am I to focused on me. Am I doing enough for others. Oh how I pray for those who don’t know You. Who haven’t found or realize their why, their reason and their purpose. Help me, help them find it. Lead me, use me, ready me. Help me rise and shine, and help others to want to rise and shine. Amen

1 Timothy 2:1-2 NLT
[1] I urge you, first of all, to pray for all people. Ask God to help them; intercede on their behalf, and give thanks for them. [2] Pray this way for kings and all who are in authority so that we can live peaceful and quiet lives marked by godliness and dignity.

Luke 10:2-6,8-11 NLT
[2] These were his instructions to them: "The harvest is great, but the workers are few. So pray to the Lord who is in charge of the harvest; ask him to send more workers into his fields. [3] Now go, and remember that I am sending you out as lambs among wolves. [4] Don’t take any money with you, nor a traveler’s bag, nor an extra pair of sandals. And don’t stop to greet anyone on the road. [5] "Whenever you enter someone’s home, first say, ‘May God’s peace be on this house.’ [6] If those who live there are peaceful, the blessing will stand; if they are not, the blessing will return to you.

[8] "If you enter a town and it welcomes you, eat whatever is set before you. [9] Heal the sick, and tell them, ‘The Kingdom of God is near you now.’ [10] But if a town refuses to welcome you, go out into its streets and say, [11] ‘We wipe even the dust of your town from our feet to show that we have abandoned you to your fate. And know this-the Kingdom of God is near!’

Today’s prayer
Dear Lord God, Abba Father, I continue to think of the lost lifes in Parkland and the lost still living amoung us. Not just the young teens wanting to be loved, find themselves and who they are meant to be, but for our leaders and elected representatives who in their lust for power and money long ago forgot who they are and were meant to be. And for all of in between, believers and deniers. Just as lost without knowing it. Full of anger and hate, rather than mercy and love. Swept back and forth, and in and out of their beliefs and faith. Faith in You and belief what is possible through You. So I humbly ask that You touch us in the moments that make up each day, have mercy on us. Let Your grace rain down on us. Hold our hands as we reach out to You and help us help You in reaching the lost amoung us. Convict us when we stumble. Give us courage to act. Liken our hearts to Jesus’s. This I ask and pray in Jesus name. Amen

Psalm 68:5-6 NLT
[5] Father to the fatherless, defender of widows- this is God, whose dwelling is holy. [6] God places the lonely in families; he sets the prisoners free and gives them joy. But he makes the rebellious live in a sun-scorched land.

Luke 9:20 NLT
[20] Then he asked them, "But who do you say I am?" Peter replied, "You are the Messiah sent from God!"

Luke 9:48 NLT
[48] Then he said to them, "Anyone who welcomes a little child like this on my behalf welcomes me, and anyone who welcomes me also welcomes my Father who sent me. Whoever is the least among you is the greatest."

Today’s prayer
Dear Lord God, Abba Father, in Jesus name through the Holy Spirt I humbly come to you with a grateful heart. For Your mercy and grace have blessed me beyond measure. As today’s verse states, You are a… ‘Father to the fatherless, defender of widows. You place the lonely in families; he sets the prisoners free and gives them joy.’ O that You would bless those lost, hurting and lonely. Heal those overwhelmed by the world under the sun, worried about tomorrow, buried in their anxieties of those things they cannot control. Separated from You through fear by the liar. Help them change the one thing they can control. What they hold on to. Breaking those chains that bind them, and the lies of the liar with the truth of Jesus. Take their hand, lift them up and hold them close. This I ask in Jesus name. Amen

Philippians 3:12-13 New Living Translation (NLT)

Pressing toward the Goal

12 I don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me. 13 No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it,[a] but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead,

Today’s prayer
Dear Lord God, Abba Father, in Jesus name through the Holy Spirit within me I humbly come to You to share my thoughts and make my prayer request. I know You already know my thoughts and what I think, but I need You, I need to feel You, I need to feed the Holy Spirit through Jesus to be close to You. For then I believe You will hear my prayers, and my prayers and Your will, become one and Your presence in me is visible. O that Your would bless me and mine, that You would expand our territory for Your will and purpose, that Your hand would be upon us, that You would keep us from evil and from causing pain. I lift up all those hurting, suffering, feeling lonely and lost. Anxious about tomorrow, out of the presence of today’s moments. Have mercy on them and lay Your peace and grace upon them. This I ask in Jesus name. Amen

John 3:19-21 NLT
[19] And the judgment is based on this fact: God’s light came into the world, but people loved the darkness more than the light, for their actions were evil. [20] All who do evil hate the light and refuse to go near it for fear their sins will be exposed. [21] But those who do what is right come to the light so others can see that they are doing what God wants."

Today’s prayer
Dear Lord God in Jesus name I come to You. Hear my thoughts and prayers. Guide me, use me, let me be a light to anyone in need. Liken my heart to Jesus. Open my eyes and ears to anyone hurting and in need. Direct my reaction. We have so many hurting and in pain, feeling alone, rejected and angry. Touch them. Light their way out of the darkness. Help ready me with open arms and ear, with the right words. Most of all let them see You in me. This I ask in Jesus name. Amen

"God blesses you who are poor, for the Kingdom of God is yours. [21]
God blesses you who are hungry now, for you will be satisfied.
God blesses you who weep now, for in due time you will laugh. [22]

What blessings await you when people hate you and exclude you and mock you and curse you as evil because you follow the Son of Man. [23] When that happens, be happy! Yes, leap for joy! For a great reward awaits you in heaven. And remember, their ancestors treated the ancient prophets that same way.

JESUS ANSWERS LIFE’S ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS

LUKE 6:17-23—ESSENTIAL QUESTION: IS THIS ALL THERE IS?

In this short burst—a shotgun blast, really—of eternal truths, Jesus hits the reset button on our conventional expectations for success in life. In these rhythmic verses, he highlights qualities and characteristics that have little currency in our current world, but are priceless in the “Kingdom of God” (or “Kingdom of Heaven” in Matthew’s version of the Sermon on the Mount). Here on earth, people who have strength of spirit often horde the treasure—but people who are poor in spirit gain the eternal treasure of the kingdom of heaven. The same is true for mourners and the gentle and the desperate-for-justice and the merciful and the pure and the peacemakers and the persecuted. Be happy about it, says Jesus, because there is a real place (his “hometown”) where all of these denigrated characteristics are treated like the priceless treasures they are. No, the standards we’ve been taught to respect—the values that human beings most often reward—are often not the values that God rewards. This isn’t all there is, and we can live in that reality right now.

Today’s prayer
Gracious God, I need the encouragement of Lent right now. It is so easy for my life to become full of everything except you. My concentration can be scattered, my attentiveness to your Spirit dampened. So, I am grateful for a Christian tradition that interrupts my status quo and calls me back to you. Thank you.

I do not want this season to be a time of going through the motions, let alone a time for legalism that draws my heart away from you. May the things I do and the things I refrain from doing be channels of attention and grace. May they help me to focus on you, opening my heart to all that you would do in me.

Above all, may I draw near to you in these days. To be sure, I should do this all the time. I know that. But something about setting aside a special season helps me to remember you and to approach you. How grateful I am for the invitation to come before you and for your promise of mercy and grace!

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About This Blog

by Richard Angulo

I was awakened to my spirituality and faith in August of 2002 when my son told me about an interaction he had with his football coach in between two a day practices that day. At that moment it was as if God had reached down and slapped me across my face, I felt immediately convicted for all I had done wrong and failed to do right. We went to Church that following Sunday together as never before and since that day the way I look at life under the sun, at being a father and husband as never been the same.